New Clothes

Who doesn’t love new clothes? Some buy to stay fashion-relevant. Some buy to replace old and miss-sized clothes. Some buy because its time for a change or mark a new change because of a new job or new phase of life. God clothes us, too.

After the fall, God clothes Adam and Eve with their first clothes. The religious might have wanted to see the first couple die a fiery death because God is so holy. On the contrary, the record shows the Lord clothing them as a sign of grace and mercy. God clothes us, too.

I read Psalm 30 this morning.

You have turned my mourning into dancing;you have taken off my sackclothand clothed me with joy, so that my soul may praise you and not be silent.O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever. – Psalm 30: 11, 12

Not only does God clothe us, but, first, our Daddy God takes off my sackcloth, my clothes of mourning. My spirit marked and scared by mourning turns to dancing. I dance with clothes of joy. Ya know, such clothes are not uncomfortable or just fashion statements. If there’s any statement to be seen in my new wardrobe, its a display of joy! I am free! And I will not be silent!

I also read from Colossians 3.

Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator. . . As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. – Colossians 3: 9-10, 12-14

Paul said there are clothes we put on our new selves. The old duds are the old practices of selfishness and bitterness. That’s not us anymore in Christ.

“Yeah, but, we’ve been hurt or harmed!?!” The taking off of the old clothes reminds me of Jesus ordering Lazarus’ grave clothes being taken off of him. He’s not dead anymore. We’re not living under the dead practices of hatred and fear and bitterness because of Christ. He bore such sins and died in our place. Right?

Above all, clothe yourselves with love. Clothing of love is the greatest clothing because it brings about harmony in us and in our environment. Wherever we are, the place we occupy, wearing clothes given to us by our God, makes a fashion statement.

God is love. I’m covered by such a great love, and there’s so much still to see by the Great Designer of the clothing of love. Hope is close by. Faith is so rich in potential in everything good. Love covers, displays our joy and our desire to impact our world in praise to our savior.